A 1,000-mile bike ride next month between Rosarito Beach and Cabo San Lucas is being promoted as a fundraiser for children's charities along the way. Organizers are counting on another benefit: delivering the message that traveling to Baja California can be safe.

“We’re trying to improve the perception of Baja,” said Bill Spradlin, one of two U.S. citizens living in San Felipe who are organizing the ride.

The 16-day Baja Love Ride is scheduled from Feb. 14 to March 1. The event’s promoters say participants can sign up for a five-mile stretch, a day-long ride or the entire journey.

The ride’s overnight stops include Ensenada. San Felipe, Guerrero Negro, Mulege, Loreto, La Paz and Todos Santos. The organizers are hoping to raise money through sponsors for the individual riders.

The event has three main beneficiaries so far: The Rosarito Beach branch of the Boys and Girls Club, the Casa de Fé orphanage in San Felipe and Hogar del Niño, an orphanage in Todos Santos. Organizers are hoping to include at least five more organizations.

Spradlin is a custom home builder from San Diego who moved to Mexico seven years ago. Last year, he opened the community’s first orphanage with his wife, Carol.

The other key organizer is John Pack, originally from Santa Barbara, who has been living in San Felipe for six years. He and his wife, Rachel, publish a magazine about Baja California and sell auto insurance for the peninsula.

The Packs and Spradlins have been enlisting the support of riding clubs on both sides of the border and Mexican tourism officials. “The overall feedback has been incredible,” Pack said.